Draft 4/9/13



State of New Hampshire

Department of Safety

Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Physical Security Self Assessment Guidelines

For School Buildings Pre K-12

In partnership with:

New Hampshire Department of Education

New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of State Police

New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police

New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Fire Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal

New Hampshire Association of School Administrators

New Hampshire Association of School Principals

United States Department of Homeland Security

New Hampshire Local Government Center

Primex

Purpose:

To assess the level that a school building can protect the school's staff and students from a deliberate act of targeted violence that is intended to result in widespread or severe damage to property or widespread loss of life or injury.

Intent:

In the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012, several state agencies began to collaborate on best practice recommendations to increase physical security in our state's public schools, grades Pre K-12.

The information provided in this self assessment document is intended to be a blueprint for safer schools. This self assessment was developed to assist school officials in identifying building and training improvements to increase the physical safety of students, staff and visitors.

This is not a complete list of every security recommendations available for school facilities. These recommendations have been compiled after a review of select studies on the topic, as well as the participation of experienced professionals from within relevant fields.

These recommendations are not mandates. It is hoped that this document will assist school officials in long and short term planning as well as the ability to identify reasonable priorities during the budgetary process or several budgetary cycles.

It also should be noted that this document is not intended to assist schools in mitigating risks from the all-hazards perspective. The sole focus of this document is to assist schools in mitigating acts of targeted violence focused at school facilities.

By supplying the user of this document with a wide variety of security recommendations it is hoped that local school officials can determine for themselves what best suits their needs and budgetary limitations.

Many studies on this topic acknowledge that security upgrades are expensive and compete with educational goals and priorities. Studies have also suggested that when security measures far exceed the needs and potential threat risk of the school, the security measures are likely to undermine the academic environment of school.

School security measures should not create environments that promote isolation between faculty and staff or the public. Maintaining and promoting a safe environment that is open, transparent and endorses a healthy learning environment for students and the entire community, must be taken into consideration when schools decide to make security improvements.

School and community culture are an important factor when making decisions about school facility enhancements. It is for these reasons that it is crucial that local officials work together to best identify which strategies are most effective in their environments and to decide how to reasonably implement these strategies within their budgetary and resource limitations.

For further information about school facility safety planning, school emergency preparedness or about how to best use and implement these self assessment guidelines please contact the following:

|James Richardson, Supervisor |Scott Nichols |

|School Emergency Planner |School Emergency Planner |

|NH Department of Safety |NH Department of Safety |

|Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management |Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management |

|33 Hazen Drive |33 Hazen Drive |

|Concord, NH 03305 |Concord, NH 03305 |

|James.richardson@dos. |Jon.nichols@dos. |

|603-223-3629 office |603-223-3642 |

|603-892-4677 cell |603-718-9292 |

| | |

|Sean Heichlinger, Coordinator |Ron Peddle |

|School Emergency Planner |School Emergency Planner |

|NH Department of Safety |NH Department of Safety |

|Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management |Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management |

|33 Hazen Drive |33 Hazen Drive |

|Concord, NH 03305 |Concord, NH 03305 |

|603-223-3626 office |603-223-3643 office |

|603-513-9660 cell |603-892-8101 |

|Sean.heichlinger@dos. |Ronald.peddle@dos. |

| | |

| | |

|Steve Allen | |

|School Emergency Planner | |

|NH Department of Safety | |

|Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management | |

|33 Hazen Drive | |

|Concord, NH 03305 | |

|603-223-3652 | |

|603-573-1797 | |

|Steve.allen@dos. | |

A. School Information

|Principals Name: | |

|Name of School: | |

|Physical Address: | |

|Street name/number: | |

|City/Town/Zip: | |

|1 |What is the student population of the school? | |

|2 |How many full time staff does the school employ? | |

|3 |How many part-time/volunteer staff does the school employ? | |

|4 |What year was the school built? | |

|5 |What year(s) were structural additions made to the school? | |

|6 |What is the approximate acreage including playgrounds/sports fields of the school property? | |

|7 |What grades are at the School | |

B. Emergency Operation Plan

|1 |Does the school facility have an emergency operation plan that is site specific and compliant with RSA 189:64 | |

| |(Emergency Response Plans)? | |

|2 |What year was the emergency response plan last update? | |

|3 |Is your school a designated Public Health Point of Dispensing Site? (POD) Or designated community shelter? | |

|4 |Does the Emergency Response Plan include: |

|Section|Yes |No |

|5 |Does the district provide training for the emergency planning team that includes workshops and refreshers offered | |

| |by the New Hampshire Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management? | |

|Training Preference |Yes |No |

|Classes provided free by Homeland Security and Emergency Management trainers at the site. | | |

|Internet web-based training programs | | |

|6 |What number of faculty and staff are trained in the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System that include |

| |the following free, on-line courses? |

|Course Completed |Number |Number |

| |Administrators |Teachers and Staff |

|IS-100.SCA: Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools | | |

| | | |

|IS-200.B: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action | | |

| | | |

|IS-700.A: National Incident Management System (NIMS) an Introduction | | |

| | | |

|7 |What are the estimated response times to the facility? |

|Organization |MIN |MAX |Shift Staffing |Total Staffing |

|Emergency Medical Personnel | | | | |

|Fire Department | | | | |

Emergency Operation Plan Continued

|8 |What is the distance from the school to the nearest hospital or trauma center? | |

|9 |Does the school conduct the following drills per year? |

|Type of Drill |Number/Year | |Type of Drill |Number/Year |

|Lock down: | | |Secure campus: | |

|Evacuation: | | |Drop and Cover: | |

|Reverse evacuation: | | |Fire Drills: | |

|10 |Has the school participated in joint exercises with local emergency service providers to include the following types of exercises: |

|Exercises |Yes |No | |Exercises |Yes |No |

|Active shooters | | | |Evacuation | | |

|11 |Does the school have personnel who are familiar with the lifesaving procedures to stop massive bleeding, applying|

| |tourniquets and/or to open a closed airway? |

|Number CPR Trained | |Number First Aid Trained | |

|12 |Have floor plans of the school been supplied to emergency responders and to the NH Department of Education that | |

| |are updated regularly? | |

|13 |Does the school have an armed school resource officer (police) or other armed police officer(s) present in the | |

| |school? | |

|Recourse Officer shared with other schools? | |

|14 |Do emergency response organizations (police, fire, emergency medical, emergency management) tour the school | |

| |facility on an annual basis other than annual Fire Department inspections? | |

|15 |Is the organizational structure of school leadership designed in such a way that all school employees are | |

| |empowered to put a school into lockdown if necessary? | |

|16 |Do school personnel have a basic understanding of which walls or barriers in the building are hardened or concrete| |

| |based versus only drywall construction? | |

C. Surveillance

Explanation: School officials need to be aware of their surroundings and/or have the ability to observe danger and potential threats. Surveillance cameras assist with deterring dangerous behavior, play an important role in evidence collecting and can be very valuable when used to locate victims and or perpetrators.

|1 |Do essential school officials have access to surveillance of the exterior of the facility’s critical areas such as| |

| |parking lots, playgrounds and entryways from their office/work/break spaces or other restricted faculty/staff | |

| |spaces? | |

|2 |Is the school equipped with security cameras that cover hallways and other common areas? | |

|3 |Is the school equipped with security cameras that allow surveillance of the exterior of the school’s key areas | |

| |such as parking lots, playgrounds, and entryways? | |

|4 |Are all exterior emergency doors covered by security cameras? | |

D. Access Control

Explanation: Preventing unauthorized persons from entering a school facility is vital to protecting those in the school. How the public enters the facility instills expectations of behavior and sets boundaries, guidelines, and reinforces policy.

|1 |Are there physical barriers allowing visitors to enter only from a singular primary entrance after | |

| |interactions/permissions/authorizations from school staff? | |

|2 |Does the school have a credentialing system/ID system for faculty and staff? | |

|3 |Does the school have a credentialing system/ID system for all visitors? | |

|4 |Is the area where visitors first interact with school staff fortified with protective construction material? | |

|5 |Can visitors make physical contact with the staff who makes decisions about who enters the school? | |

Access Control Continued

|6 |Are the glass features in or around the interior doors at the front entrance of the school designed in such a way | |

| |that would prevent unauthorized intrusion into the building if they were compromised? | |

|7 |Are the windows on the ground level of the school designed in such a way that would prevent unauthorized intrusion| |

| |if the glass panels were compromised? | |

|8 |If glass panels are part of the entry to a classroom are they susceptible to unauthorized entry if the glass is | |

| |compromised? | |

|9 |Are interior doors with glass panels equipped with shades that can block visibility into the room? | |

|10 |Are classroom doors equipped with locking mechanisms that allow staff to lock the doors from the inside and are | |

| |compliant with fire safety codes? | |

|11 |Is the school's door locking systems key based or electronic? | |

|12 |Are all exterior emergency doors of the building equipped with alerting systems that activate if these doors are | |

| |opened? | |

|13 |Is the door opening hardware accessible from the outside of exterior emergency doors? | |

|14 |If the door hinges are exposed to the outside on exterior emergency doors, are the hinges tamper resistant or have| |

| |protective hinges coverings? | |

|15 |Are all doors in the building solid core doors? | |

|16 |Are all exterior doors maintained properly and in good working order? | |

|17 |Are all exterior doors equipped with commercial grade automatic closing hardware? | |

|18 |Is the exterior of the building designed in such a way to prohibit unauthorized vehicles coming within close | |

| |proximity of the building and doors? | |

|19 |Are there exterior building features that allow unauthorized access to the roof? | |

|20 |Is there a fence around the School Property? | |

E. Emergency Alerting

Explanation: The ability to communicate effectively and rapidly with the entire school population during an emergency is a critical capability. Being able to address the entire school's population when announcing response actions or coordinating rescue procedures is vital during emergencies. Making emergency requests for help, from offsite responders, should occur rapidly and clearly. Informing the public about emergency conditions is a key function of school safety.

|1 |Does the school have a public address system that allows communication from the office to the entire school | |

| |including key places of assembly outside of the building? | |

|2 |Do the classrooms and common areas have the ability to communicate with the office? | |

|3 |Does the school have the ability to make an announcement from anywhere in the school other than the office? | |

|4 |Does the school have redundant communication systems/alerting systems in order to be able to summon emergency | |

| |response services? (For example: radios, panic alarms) | |

|5 |Does the school have the necessary transmitters, receivers, and repeaters to ensure radio communication by | |

| |emergency personnel everywhere in the building and are these systems checked regularly? | |

|6 |Does the school have a mass notification system for the community? | |

|7 |Are critical exterior doors marked with a number or letter that is clearly visible to first responders from the | |

| |outside? | |

|8 |Are critical exterior windows marked with a number or letter that is clearly visible to first responders from the | |

| |outside? | |

|9 |Is the telecommunications system in E-911 compliant? 9-1-1 compliant means that all phones used to contact | |

| |emergency responders must connect to New Hampshire’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) by dialing the following| |

| |sequence of numbers exclusively 9-1-1, 9-9-1-1 or 8-9-1-1. | |

Reference Material used provided from:

• The National School Shield Task Force: April 2, 2013

• Sandy Hook Advisory Commission Interim Report March 18, 2013

• U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools: A Guide to School Vulnerability Assessments: Key Principles for Safe Schools 2008

• The Final Report and Findings of the Safe Schools Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Based Attacks in the United States, May 2002

• Select New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated

• Adapted All Hazard Response Actions Developed by School Emergency Planning Staff at NH Homeland Security and Emergency Management: September/October 2001

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